• Delta Force executed the capture operation in Caracas following airstrikes on military installations
• Trump claims Maduro and wife flown out of country to face narcoterrorism charges
• Venezuelan government demands proof of life as defense minister vows resistance

CARACAS, VZ (TDR) — President Donald Trump announced early Saturday that the United States executed a large-scale military strike against Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro, marking a dramatic escalation in Washington’s monthslong campaign against the socialist regime.

The operation unfolded in the predawn hours of Jan. 3, with residents reporting at least seven explosions and the sound of low-flying aircraft across the capital beginning around 2 a.m. local time. Videos circulating on social media showed large fires at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, and La Carlota military airport.

Elite Forces Execute Seizure

Delta Force, the U.S. Army’s premier counterterrorism unit, carried out the capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, according to officials who spoke to CBS News. The couple was then flown out of the country, though their exact location remains undisclosed.

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“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social early Saturday morning. “This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him Maduro was arrested to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States. The Republican senator added that the military action was deployed to protect those executing the arrest warrant.

“It was a brilliant operation, actually. A lot of good planning and lot of great, great troops and great people,” Trump told The New York Times in a brief phone interview Saturday morning.

Months of Escalating Pressure

The strike represents the culmination of an intensifying U.S. military campaign that began in August with a massive deployment to the Caribbean. The Pentagon positioned the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier, along with approximately 15,000 troops and 11 naval vessels in the region.

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Since September, U.S. forces have destroyed more than 30 boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific that the Trump administration claimed were transporting drugs. The strikes have killed at least 115 people. The CIA also conducted a drone strike in December on a port facility on Venezuela’s coast allegedly used by drug traffickers.

Maduro was indicted by a U.S. federal court in March 2020 on charges of narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and drug trafficking. Prosecutors alleged he led the Cartel de los Soles and collaborated with Colombian guerrilla group FARC to flood the United States with cocaine. The Trump administration doubled the reward for his capture to $50 million last summer.

Venezuelan Government Responds

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded immediate proof of life from the Trump administration in an audio call to state-run television, saying the government does not know Maduro’s whereabouts. She claimed the U.S. attack resulted in deaths of officials, military personnel and civilians across the country.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced a massive deployment of military forces and vowed the country would not surrender. In a video posted to social media, he called the operation “the worst aggression” ever against Venezuela and insisted armed forces would follow Maduro’s orders despite the reported capture.

“They’ve attacked us but they will not subdue us,” Padrino López said defiantly.

The Venezuelan government condemned what it described as a grave military aggression targeting civilian and military sites in Caracas and the states of Miranda, Aragua and La Guaira. Officials accused the United States of attempting to seize Venezuela’s vast oil reserves and mineral resources.

International Reaction Divided

The operation drew swift international condemnation from several nations. Cuba denounced the “criminal attack” and called for urgent international response. Russia expressed deep concern over what it called an “act of armed aggression” and demanded Venezuela be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro warned that “they are bombing Caracas” and called for an emergency United Nations meeting. Iranian officials described the attack as a blatant violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty.

Some U.S. lawmakers also raised constitutional concerns. Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, warned against military involvement, stating the United States has “no vital national interests in Venezuela to justify war.”

What Comes Next

Trump scheduled a news conference for 11 a.m. ET Saturday at Mar-a-Lago to provide additional details about the operation. U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that no American casualties occurred during the military action.

The timing of the capture holds historical significance, occurring 35 years to the day after U.S. forces arrested Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega on similar drug trafficking charges.

Venezuela’s opposition leader María Corina Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, had previously indicated she would welcome increased pressure on the Maduro regime. The disputed 2024 presidential election, which opposition groups and international observers deemed fraudulent, sparked months of protests that resulted in thousands of arrests.

The State Department issued a shelter-in-place order for any Americans remaining in Venezuela following the strikes. Some areas of Caracas remained without electricity hours after the explosions.

Will the operation succeed in establishing democratic governance in Venezuela, or will it trigger prolonged instability in the oil-rich nation?

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